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New England Aquarium celebrates birth of its 100th epaulette shark

“This is a really exciting milestone and shows the experience and success we’ve gained with this species.”

The shark pup at one month old. NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM

February 21, 2024

1 minute to read

The New England Aquarium is celebrating the birth of the 100th epaulette shark to hatch at its facility since 2012.

The male shark hatched on Jan. 10, and the aquarium said he will remain “behind the scenes” in the facility’s shark and ray rearing system for five or six months until he is large enough to join the Science of Sharks exhibit.

“This is a really exciting milestone and shows the experience and success we’ve gained with this species,” Sarah Tempesta, manager of Interactive Exhibits at the Aquarium, said in a statement. “Caring for animals throughout their entire lifespan allows us to learn more about their development, characteristics, and longevity, which ultimately allows us to provide them the ability to experience excellent welfare.”

According to the aquarium, the young shark’s father has lived at the facility since 2008 and is, at 22, the oldest epaulette shark on record in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums studbook program. The aquarium started breeding epaulette sharks in 2009, reaching consistent success in 2012.

Epaulette sharks, native to the tropical waters off Australia and New Guinea, take five months to hatch and seven years to become fully-grown. According to the aquarium, the sharks have evolved to use their pectoral fins to “walk” across the seafloor and sometimes even stretches of land.

“Their name comes from the large spots behind each pectoral fin that are reminiscent of military epaulettes,” the aquarium said.